32 Fahrenheit
by Cosmic Castaway
Summary: A routine questioning of an UNSUB turns into a hellish nightmare for one Aaron Hotchner and Emily Prentiss.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer** – _If I owned these characters I would be in Hollywood making big money doing much crueler things then what I do in this story. I do not own them so I therefore promise to put them back where I found them. _

**Season** – _We can say this is some where between season five and season six. So Haley has been dead for some time._

**Author Notes** _– Well just over a month ago I fell in love with this show. Before I knew what was happening my muse was attacking me like an evil little monkey from the closet (cookies for those who catch that reference – wiggles eyebrows), so thus my first Criminal Minds fanfic. Please be gentle, I tried to stay in character as much as I could but does not mean I didn't stray a little. I also never imagined such a huge chapter, but I wanted it to stop at a certain point thus lengthy chapter. So hope you enjoy!_

**Chapter 1**

The sound of heavy footsteps caught Emily Prentiss' attention a little too late. By the time she turned around something heavy slammed into the back of her head. Her body betraying her, her knees folded underneath and she slammed onto the hard wooden floor.

Blinking a few times, trying desperately to get her bearings, she found it increasingly difficult. Panic ripped through her at the speed of light, where was the UNSUB? Trying to listen to her surroundings, she heard nothing, nor sensed anyone standing near her. That didn't mean they didn't have a gun trained on her either. It wasn't until her boss was kneeling before her with worry etched into his eyes. 'Jesus, how much time had pass since I was hit?' she wondered.

She blinked a few times, his entire face was moving clockwise in a full circle and for a second it appeared as though Hotch had three heads. She placed her hand on his shoulder, or what she thought was his shoulder, it could have been his face for all she knew. "I'm okay, go get him."

She could see Hotch crouching there trying to see the head wound; the next time she blinked he was gone. She only had her eyes closed for a second and she could have sworn he said something, but then again she was the worst one to judge time and memory at that moment. At first she thought maybe she had made the whole thing up in her mind, until she realized she had Hotch's back up piece tightly held in her white knuckled grasp.

Though she wanted nothing more then to wait for Hotch to return to her side, she knew deep down inside she couldn't. She had to get up, she had to make sure her boss, her partner, didn't need back up. That was their rule, they were a team, a family, and there was nothing they were supposed to do alone. In their line of work, things could go wrong so quickly so having that extra person was a safety precaution a security blanket they were all quite fond of. Knowing internally she was suppose to be out there helping Hotch and not laying on the ground, she found strength hidden in the depths of her body.

Crawling to her knees she then slowly used the bed to bring herself up so she was standing. The entire room began moving back and forth as though she had one to many drinks. Closing her eyes to steady herself she reopened them and she began moving, one foot in front of the other until she reached the banister of the staircase. Glancing down she saw the front door wide open.

Taking a deep breath until she could no longer pull any more air in she let it back out and started her decent down the stairs and each step felt like she had been walking a hundred miles. It wasn't until the last step did she feel her entire world sway and her fingernails dug into the railing bringing her back to her senses. She had one more step to go, and she almost lost it right at the bottom of the steps. Leave it to her to make it all the way down and then almost pass out. That no longer mattered though, she had to find Aaron Hotchner.

As she walked to the front door and made it outside, the chilly winter air hit her lungs and made her instantly cold internally. January in Michigan was not the best time to be hunting down UNSUBS, but she didn't have a choice. She had a job to do. She made her way down the front porch and she started looking for any sign for the suspect or Hotch. She saw nothing till her eyes set upon a set of footprints. At first she thought it was her own until she saw a set of four and they were definitely created by two males and not a smaller creature such as herself. Her eyes slowly followed the path and as she continued to follow she realized they headed straight into the woods.

She began a slow jog hoping her pounding headache wouldn't increase for she knew asking for it to simply stop was too much. As she cleared the front of the house and started into the woods she hoped and prayed that Hotch was okay and that she was able to find him in time. The sun that offered no warmth in the cold winter days was starting to set on the horizon and Emily had no desire to be outside in a forest she did not know. Then something made her heart go cold, her body frozen and she stopped in her tracks. A single gun shot bounced off the stripped bare trees and into her ears and fear gripped her in its long dark webbing.

Digging into her coat pocket fast she found the item she was looking for and quickly with shaky fingers opened her fingers. Every curse word she could think of formed in her mind as she saw the symbol for no service. They were in a remote area, service was few and far and between. Shoving the phone into her coat she then began running, she didn't care her head was screaming at her, she had to get to Hotch. With adrenaline pumping through her entire system, Emily Prentiss ran with all her might praying with everything in her body and soul that she would not find a nightmare lying before her. Little did she know her night was only just the beginning.

(Thirty Minutes Prior)

"Argh, I'm not getting any service out here. Are you?" Emily Prentiss broke the silence that was in the car. Hotch who was focused on driving dug into his pocket pulled out his cell phone. Placing it back he shook his head. "Nope, we have officially entered the movie of 'Deliverance'."

"Well if I hear a banjo playing, you are on your own," Emily replied with a smile, looking out her window. It was so rare to hear even a small joke out of their Unit Chief, especially after the events he went through. So it was nice to hear his sense of humor show up once in a great while.

Hotch kept his eyes scanning the road, the State Police were very direct with them to watch out for the deer. The time of the year, food was scarce bringing the animals onto busy roads and into the city making life interesting for those who had to deal with them.

Reid's voice echoed in Hotch's ear. "Back in 2004 and 2005 there were over one hundred and fifty human deaths that occurred because of deer. The injury alone came into the ten thousand, not to mention there is no standardized report from state to state; I do believe Pennsylvania is first closely followed by Michigan. Do you know there has been reported of one billion dollars alone in damage done to vehicles."

Hotch was lost after that, for Reid kept talking and by then Emily and him were walking out of the police station. Sometimes it was interesting to listen to the kid, he had so much information in his mind that he wanted to share, but on occasions such as this, it became too much. If they allowed him, Reid would probably go through the entire list of each state and how many deer accidents they had that year as well.

"Haley and I came here once before, we were more south but right off Lake Michigan." Hotch spoke up changing his thought process not entirely sure himself why he was telling Prentiss such a private moment that transpired between himself and his late ex wife. Though he'd never admit it, it actually felt rather good to talk about it. He continued speaking.

"We were visiting some family from her side that invited us for Fourth of July weekend. Fireworks right off the pier, a thunderstorm was looming in the background so you'd see lightening hit the lake. It wasn't ten minutes after the show was done that Haley and I and everyone else get soaked. As everyone else was running, trying to get out of the thunderstorm; we just stayed there in the pouring rain, holding each other."

Emily Prentiss could not find any words to speak to her boss. The man was so very protective of his family, of his life outside the BAU. For him to share something so private and so personal made Emily flabbergasted. Hotch took the moment of silence and didn't stop speaking.

"Haley and I were going to retire here. Most people go to southern states, Florida. Haley loved the snow and she had fallen in love with Lake Michigan."

"You still can." Emily finally found her words. She glanced over to see Hotch's reaction and found his eyes staring right directly into her soul, or so that's what it felt like he was doing. She wet her lips as he broke the stare to continue looking at the road. "Nothing is stopping you from one day achieving it."

On the outside Aaron Hotchner was stoic as could be, not giving any reaction, on the inside however his mind was processing Emily's answer. He truly had never looked at that way. In a lot of aspects he liked it very much, for Haley wasn't the only one who had fallen in love with the beautiful lake. There was something calm and serenity about the lake that made him feel home.

Then before Hotch knew it, as his mind drifted on the cold waters of the inland ocean, Reid's statistics raddled off in his mind.

"Did you know Lake Michigan was named "Michi gami" meaning "Great Lake." And you can fit Delaware, Massachusetts, and Maryland into Lake Michigan and the deepest part of the lake is 925 feet. Rip tides are the leading cause of deaths…" . Hotch was thankful to see that they had arrived at their destination. He had hung around the kid too long and Reid was starting to wear off on him.

Both Hotch and Emily felt the car's suspension take a beating as it traveled down the long dirt path that led to the house in front of them. The vehicle sitting in front of the home had been used in the last twenty four hours for the snow removal was evident on the truck. Tony Mitchell had missed a parole meeting with his probation officer and Mitchell's car had been positively I.D. at the last abduction of a young boy thus bringing the two agents out to question him.

As Hotchner placed the vehicle in park and the two got out he was thankful to be wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. When coming to a much colder state you wanted to wear layers or you'd be regretting it later on down the road. The two moved up onto the porch and Emily began knocking on the door. Nothing. They waited and tried again.

"Mr. Mitchell open the door, we just want to talk." Emily said loud enough for anyone to hear inside if they were standing close enough to the entrance.

Still silence and no sounds coming from within, the two agents glanced at one another. Both of them reading one another like a book, no words had to be spoken as they both unholstered their weapons. Hotch took the lead and tried first to see if the door was unlocked. He was shocked to find the door not bolted shut and put it as Mitchell didn't have time to lock it, or figured they were out in the middle of no where who would be opening the door?

"F.B.I." Hotch announced then as he and Emily entered into the house. She closed the door behind them. They began slowly clearing the rooms, sweeping in and out, and coming up empty handed. Hotch's senses were on full alert, listening for anything that sounded out of place in the very quiet home. Nothing jumped out or was out of the ordinary. As Hotch reached the back door and looked out the small window he began to wonder if Mitchell was even there, it could have been highly likely that he left out the back as they were coming in the front. He then nicked that idea for Mitchell would have to own a snowmobile being that far in the neck of the woods, and he and Emily would have heard it. Not to mention if he had left earlier then that, a trail would have been clearly marked in the snow. If Mitchell had left out on foot in these conditions it would be down right suicide trying to make it into town. So either he was in the house still or someone came and picked him up.

Getting back into the moment, he walked back into the living room meeting back up with Emily. Neither one of them had cleared the upstairs so with weapons still drawn they climbed the stairs and Hotch motioning to Emily to take the first door, Hotch took the far room at the end of the hallway. He walked up and did a quick count down in his head and then opened the door quickly.

Aaron Hotchner found the master bedroom but no Tony Mitchell. He checked the bathroom, the closet, even under the bed but there was no other person in the room. He was about to call out clear when he heard a loud thump that sounded like a body hitting the floor coming from the room Emily Prentiss was suppose to be in.

"Prentiss?" Calling out to her as he began moving from the master bedroom and out to the hallway. As Hotch rounded the door way he saw a man run from out of the room and down the stairs. Before Hotch even entered the room the very idea of Prentiss being hurt entered his mind and that idea sent a chill up and down his spine. He took one glance to see where the UNSUB had run and saw the front door wide open. Then he turned and found Emily on the floor trying desperately to get up and get her bearings.

He took only three strides and he was beside Emily checking her head wound. It was a nasty cut and probably a nice concussion, but more then likely she would be okay. He also noticed rather quickly her gun was missing so without even a slightest hesitation he reached down and grabbed the Glock 26 strapped to his ankle. That's when Hotch caught her gaze as she continued to blink her eyes rapidly, more then likely trying to focus her blurry vision.

Her hand then reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder slipping and then resting on his cheek. "I'm okay, go get him."

Hotch's body tingled with sensation from the very touch of her hand and he immediately felt bad and scolded himself for allowing to even go there. Quickly, so not to dwell on it, he grabbed her hand and placed the back-up piece in her hand and spoke, the only words that came to his mind. "Call for back up."

A part of him was screaming at himself to not allow the perp to get further away, but the bigger part did not like leaving his agent, especially Emily Prentiss alone and injured. His job was to protect, but he also knew she would not be happy if she found out he allowed Mitchell to get away because of her.

Without anything else to say he then turned, stood up, and left her sitting on the ground as he took the steps two at a time and was out the front door before Emily could even utter a single word to him. His eyes were frantically looking for any sign as to which way Mitchell had gone, apparently on foot for his vehicle was still in the driveway. His eyes caught the footprints leading away from the sidewalk and not towards the trucks. As he began following them he realized quickly they were leading to the woods that surrounded Tony Mitchell's place. Coving the ground quickly Hotch was at the tree line and entering the woods, jumping over pieces of dead trees and ducking under low hanging tree branches that were burden with the heavy amount of snow.

The burning in his chest became difficult to ignore as the cold air sucked the warmth right out of his lungs with every breath he took. Hotch found it harder and harder to breathe he started to wonder if he would ever catch up to Tony Mitchell. This man had home field advantage in every sense of the word. Not only did Mitchell know his own house but he knew these woods, and could lead Hotch on a wild goose chase. The sun going down and exposed to these kinds of temperatures, they probably wouldn't find him until spring came around. It was this thought process that was running through his mind when a tree branch came swinging out of know where right into his midsection.

Everything slowed down as Hotch felt his feet lift off the ground and come forward and then gravity took hold and he was falling. Hotch felt the wind leave his body as he slammed hard onto the ground. Dazed for only a second the sound of a gun cocking back brought Hotch back to the moment, for standing over him was an out of breath Tony Mitchell holding Emily Prentiss's service weapon.

Aaron Hotchner could still feel the cold weapon grasped in his hand. Surprisingly he was able to hold onto it even after the fact of being hit in the midsection and stopping from a full run. Though sadly he wasn't able to conceal it fast enough and it did not escape Mitchell's line of sight as he kept his eyes on Hotch then suddenly glared at it, telling Hotch what he had to do.

The very idea of losing his only weapon was taking his one chance of getting out of this alive, but Hotch knew he had no alternative. He did not have the higher ground, the time it would take for him to actually point it at Mitchell would be enough time for Mitchell to shoot, and Hotch needed this man to trust him. Letting go of the Glock 17 and he put his hands up, showing surrender, that he no longer had his weapon and was now an unarmed man.

"I'm going to stand, okay?"

Silence greeted Hotch as he slowly moved to stand up. Not making any sudden movements as he came to his full height, still keeping his hands up, Hotch began to study Mitchell. The man's face was calm, no emotion was written on Mitchell's features; the same as his body as he stood completely still. Then Hotch saw it. His eyes told other wise, he was in full panic mode. To Hotch this was a good thing for he had a better chance of talking someone down who was nervous and scared then an UNSUB who had a plan and was not going to be deterred from the methodical plot that he or she thought up. Hotch could only hope he could stall him long enough for Prentiss to get there.

It was as though Mitchell over heard Hotch's thoughts for he glanced over Hotch's shoulder expecting to see another F.B.I. agent come running from behind.

"We only had some questions." Hotch spoke, getting Mitchell's mind back on him.

"I'm not going back." Mitchell finally broke his silence, speaking for the first time after having kept silent the entire time.

"Nobody said you were."

Then anger broke across Mitchell's face and Hotch licked his lips almost as a sense of preparation.

"I'm not some fucking idiot. I know how it works. Assault on any one of you guys is a death sentence, not to mention holding a gun on you, yeah doesn't look very good, does it?"

"You could have shot me, but you didn't. That is saying something. You could have taken me out when I was vulnerable on the ground instead you wanted to hear what I had to say. You were in panic mode, survival and there is nothing wrong with that."

Hotch was witnessing Mitchell lose control. The longer Hotch stood there talking to the man the more Mitchell got agitated and more nervous, switching back and forth on his feet. The Unit Chief started to get a sick feeling in the bottom of his stomach knowing it was about to turn ugly. It became clear to Hotch this man was not going to go peacefully. , He could reach out and touch the gun that was aimed at him. All he needed was a good distraction, something that would allow him to swing it to his advantage.

"Yeah," Mitchell spoke again, "I missed my parole meeting, add the other things….I"m not going back. It almost killed me; I can't go through that again."

That's when Hotch saw complete calm wash over the man and the hair on the back of Hotch's neck stood up on end. As Mitchell continued to speak to the man he held at gun point.

"No hard feelings and this isn't personal but rather you than me."

It was with that Hotchner moved into action, allowing instinct to kick in. Without even thinking about it he threw his right hand up and pushed the gun that was pointed towards his chest upwards. He then rushed Mitchell in a tackle that would have made Morgan proud.

The sound of the weapon discharging vibrated through Hotch's ears as their bodies connected but that was the least of his problems. For Hotch hadn't realized Mitchell had positioned himself right in front of a steep embankment. It probably never occurred to Mitchell that Hotch would tackle him with a gun trained on him; little did Mitchell know Hotch was not the type to lay down and die.

Hotch could feel every branch, every stone, as they scraped and tumbled down the hill, each trying to get the upper hand, trying desperately not to be the one who landed first at the bottom. Luck was on Mitchell's side at the moment for as they finally reached the curve ending the fall, Mitchell flipped Hotch so he landed on his back and Mitchell was on top. Hotch hadn't been ready for the move and not prepared for the other man's weight and before he could even recover, Mitchell reacted.

Mitchell took his fist back and slammed it hard against Hotch's face. Hotch's head slammed hard against the ground and he felt Mitchell scramble away as he tried to get back up on his feet.

As he stood up and began running he noticed Mitchell no longer had the gun, losing it some where in the fall This little fact gave Hotch a renewed burst of energy, a reserve he didn't know even existed until that moment. Aaron had begun to cover ground quickly and was gaining on Mitchell, but to Hotch's complete shock and sheer surprise, his feet came out from under him and he slammed and slid forward on something very cold.

It was with this horror the field he believed he was chasing Mitchell over was indeed not a field but a small lake. The fresh snow that had fallen the previous night disguised its true form.

"MITCHELL STOP."

It was too late. It was then Hotch heard the sound, a terrible grinding sound as though a beast had been rudely awakened from a deep slumber. Hotch couldn't utter another word, with complete horror he watched as Mitchell completely disappear from his line of sight. He couldn't watch this man die so, moving quickly, he started to run towards the open hole that Mitchell had created. Before Hotch got even half way, the sound of cracking and creaking of his weight on the thin layer of ice hit his ears. He quickly came to a halt, slipping and sliding all the while. He moved the snow gently and saw a spider web of cracks in the ice. He could hear Mitchell trying to scream for help, splashing around but Hotch couldn't move.

He shifted his body weight and he heard another grinding sound coupled with what almost sounded like a gun shot in the ice. Dread started to wash over him. He immediately turned and scanned the tree line hoping to see Emily but in the dark he could not see any type of movement. 'When the hell did the sun go down,' the question coming to mind. Did it really matter though, would it have been better if there had been a sun instead of a moon?

He tried moving backwards but that only produced another creak from the delicate barrier that kept him safe for the time being. The damage was done, he knew it. Mitchell had started a chain reaction in the ice that could not be undone and he wondered how he was going to get out of this.

"HOTCH!"

Turning his eyes back up to the embankment he had fallen down he saw Emily's silhouette. He then turned back to the hole Mitchell had disappeared down and realized he had gone quiet, silence. Turning back to Emily he wondered what he should do and how long he could stand there, not to mention how long the ice could hold him. He lifted his foot up to place it behind him trying once more to take a small step back and that became his undoing. A tip of the scales, as his weight shifted, changing the pressure on the thin layer of ice, before Hotch could even react, he felt himself falling into the deep dark freezing waters below him.

**TBC….**

_So what did you think? Reviews are my crack, the more I get the quicker I write ;). _


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Note:** _It is I, with another update! Because of your lovely reviews, I was able to set a new record for me, updating a story with in a few weeks! So really this for you my lovely reviewers, thank you SO MUCH!_

**Jane, theoriginalbritt, Anon, Sophie, pertrisha, Jenno55, JayJe, HPforever, CMFAN2009, NicknHotchfan, kimtom4eva, fanficlover, TheLuckiestOne, Kimmeke, Nala, History05, Angel N Darkness, and jessalynnGSR….**_thank you so much for your kind words! _

**Chapter 2 **

Emily Prentiss came to a stop. She couldn't believe how quickly she had gotten out of breath as she sucked in as much air as she could in a span of five seconds. Her chest was moving up and down trying to accommodate her heavy breathing, but her running out of breath wasn't why she came to a stop. She had stopped right before a rather steep hill and started scanning the ground. Panic had built inside, beginning to believe she had, somehow, screwed up and went off the path.

She knew she had stayed straight and caught the footprints here and there as she continued running, but then suddenly they stopped. Turning around, looking for any sign of which way they went, she then saw the weapon lying on the ground. Walking over she picked up the deadly firearm that was completely out of place in the serenity of the woods. She knew without any doubt it was Hotch's handgun and worried she was too late. Then again as she scanned the ground she found no indication that Hotch had been wounded, no blood was visible on the white glittering snow.

Staring at the spot where she had found the pistol she then saw it finally. Turning her eyes to the embankment, Emily wanted to slap herself in the head. She took a few steps down the hill and began checking for any kind of movement. As her eyes searched out what she was looking for, her heart leapt into her throat. Standing out in the middle of what looked like a field, was her boss, Aaron Hotchner. As she began moving forward slowly, she was thankful it was winter. As absurd as it sounded the clouds in the sky was reflecting back to the ground from the town off in the distance causing everything to seem brighter outside then it normally was. If it had been a summer night, she probably never would have seen Hotch standing there.

She didn't see Tony Mitchell anywhere, and she took a risk hoping she wasn't risking herself and Hotch at the same time, she yelled down to him.

"HOTCH?"

Even from where she stood she could see him glance up at her. He then turned his head back to what he was staring at. Her speed increased as she saw the gaping hole and she then realized why Hotch wasn't moving. He wasn't more then ten feet away from where it was very apparent Mitchell had fallen in. The ice was to thin in the middle, not able to support a full grown man and his weight. She stopped for just a second, as dizziness hit her once more. The hit from Mitchell coming back to haunt her as she closed her eyes and willed herself to be okay, Hotch needed her now.

When she opened her eyes again, she only had them shut for a second, she then saw Hotch had glanced back up at her and she saw his foot move back to try and take a step back from the bleeding artery that was the hole in the ice. It was then she heard it. A sound that put fear into the very depth of her soul that made her find energy she didn't even know existed. As she tried to move as fast as her legs could muster, she knew she was going to be too late. She screamed out as she watched in horror as the ice gave away underneath Hotch and he was plunged into the cold waters right in front of her. Making it to the bottom she wondered how in the hell she was going to get him out of the frigid waters without herself falling in the process.

Aaron Hotchner had never experienced anything quite what he felt when he completely submerged under the ice and fought to come back up. He had experienced cold showers before, when Haley got mad at him, or he jumped in a pool when it was freezing not realizing his mistake until he hit the water, that was child's play compared to this. As he kicked to the surface and broke to the top he found for the second time that day he had lost his breath and he couldn't find the air to fill his lungs. It felt as though every inch of his body that had any kind of warmth was ripped brutally from him and as he tried to make it to the edge of the hole it felt like he was being stabbed in every inch of his flesh.

He wanted to scream but found his voice gone, ripped from his throat. Internally he was panicking, the longer he stayed in, the less likely he would survive. Hotch had completely forgotten about Emily and the fact she was racing towards him. All his mind could process was to get out of the water, get warm, and stop the torture that was happening to his body. What he found though, as he began trying to kick his legs to get up onto the ice, was they were tired and weak. It felt like he wasn't moving them at all, which he knew was ludicrous. What was even more distressing as he started to make it up onto the ice, it would then snap under the little bit of weight he put on it and throw him back in, and a few times he went completely under again. It wasn't until he heard Emily yell at him did he stop.

Emily slowed down taking baby steps, making sure to put her full attention to the ice. She wanted to heed its warning, make sure she didn't miss the signs and end up being in the same situation as Hotch. If that happened, neither one would make it. It took everything in her not to go running to Hotch and give him her hand, watching as he struggled to get back up on the ice. Even from where she stood she could tell his whole body was shaking all ready due to the dramatic change in temperature he had gone through and she knew he wasn't thinking about anything else but to get out.

"Don't move Hotch, conserve your energy."

He could barely move, as he glanced over and saw Emily beginning to pull her coat off. He had a thought of what she was going to do, he just hoped she could do it fast for he wasn't sure how long he could keep fighting.

As she inched closer she then gently went down on her knees feeling she was close enough. "Hotch," catching his eyes as he clung on for dear life onto the edge, "I'm going to throw you the sleeve of my coat. You're going to have to pull yourself up, okay? I can't do this by myself." She watched as he nodded his head, not speaking a single word but understanding what she had said.

She then threw the coat and laid down on her back using her legs as leverage making sure to distribute her weight so when Hotch did make it back up on the ice, there wouldn't be both of their weight on the same patch of ice. Emily watched as the arm of the coat slapped against the ice and inches away from Hotch's fingers as he desperately kicked his feet to try and inch himself closer.

Cussing inside and wanting to scream every curse word known to man Emily spun around and began crawling on the cold frozen lake. Using her forearms and her tip toes she slowly but affectively got a few inches closer and tried the same process again, throwing her coat so Hotch so he could grab onto it.

Hotch watched as the coat whacked against the cold ice, he knew this had to work. They were out of options if this failed. Emily would never have enough time to make it back to someone's place before he answered the call to the coldness that was the waters.

He felt tired, like his whole body was not his own and it was slowly begin to betray him. He wanted nothing more then to fall asleep, to just give up and shut his eyes.

"NO! Hotch open your eyes!" He could have sworn he just blinked them, but he saw the panic and worry written across her features. With renewed strength he didn't even know existed, he held onto the coat, tightening his fists around the sleeve as a security blanket.

Hotch kicked as hard as he could using the garment as a rope and began the slow process of bringing his entire body out of the treacherous waters. He never felt so tired in his life, and didn't even realize he had completely made it out before he heard Emily yelling at him again.

"Hotch….Hotch….Aaron," that was the first time she had ever called him by his first name and it got his attention immediately as he opened his eyes again and saw she had moved away. In his tired and cold mind he was rather confused as to why she was moving further from him as his entire body was wreaked with spasms. He curled in on himself trying to find body warmth that wasn't there trying to control his breathing all the while watching as Emily continued to back up.

The sound of the ice complaining from the added weight did not go unheard as Prentiss watched Hotch pull himself up onto the ice. She wanted to go over and help him up, but she could not risk it. So she came up with a plan that she hoped would work. She started to move backwards, hoping the further they got away from the middle of the lake and closer inland, the ice would be stronger to support both their weights. She knew it was going to be difficult for Hotch but neither she nor he had any other choice.

"Hotch…." No movement from him as he continued to lay there, "Hotch." Still it got no reaction from him, so Emily went on a ledge hoping it would work, "Aaron." It got the desired effect that she wanted as Hotch glanced up from where he lay with confusion in his eyes. She watched as the single movement of lifting his head up seemed to exhaust him, she knew she had to get to his side as soon as possible. Not only for physical support, but mental. She was going to have to be the one to push his body to the limits she could only pray that he could take it.

"I want you to crawl towards me Hotch, come on I know you have it in you."

At first she was worried he couldn't move or that he wouldn't and she would have to find other means to get him away from the hole in the ice. With her breath caught in her throat she watched as Hotch picked himself up slowly onto his hands and knees and a bit ungracefully made his way over to her.

"Just a little further Hotch, you can make it."

She inched back a little further each time he continued moving, keeping his head down, not wanting to see how truly far he had to go. He then collapsed and Emily was satisfied the ice was strong enough and she made her way towards Hotch. The wet clothes pressed against his body, the jet black hair matted to his skull and his lips slowly becoming blue right there in front of Emily's eyes. She knew she had to get him somewhere warm and get there fast. She placed her hand on his shoulder, starting to urge him to stand up. Glancing up to the heavens she gave a silent prayer, and it was then that she realized it was snowing softly. That meant their tracks back to the house would be covered and getting back to Tony Mitchell's house nearly impossible.

The hand on his shoulder urging for him to sit up was the first indication that Hotch wasn't going to be allowed to lay there for long. Without even opening his eyes, with her help, he sat up trying desperately not to lean all the way over and curl back up into a ball. He didn't want to move though, he was just so cold and his whole body ached from it. Crossing his arms he looked over to Mitchell's last known location.

"Whuuut….bout….him?" Finding talking was very hard to do and his tongue weighed like twenty pounds while his teeth chattered at the same time. He was actually rather surprised Emily knew what he was even talking about.

Glancing over her shoulder Emily looked over where Mitchell had fallen in starting off the chain reaction in the first place and looking back at her boss. "Leave him, he's not going anywhere."

Hotch could feel a small smile reach his cold lips and as serious as the situation as it was, it was nice to find some kind of humor in the whole thing no matter how bad the joke was.

"Come on, we have to get you warm."

When he heard those words cross Emily's lips he knew he was going to hate this. Everything in him wanted him to quit, to give in, to answer to the darkness reaching with dark claws at the corners of his consciousness. Hotch knew though, he could not give into such a call that he had to fight it with every ounce of strength he had. Counting down from three he stood up. Though hunched over, with arms wrapped around his body, he began putting one foot in front of the other with Emily right beside him. Hotch felt her grab onto his one arm and swing it over her shoulder, trying to take some of his weight and give him some kind of moral support.

He didn't want to look ahead just like when he was trying to crawl towards Emily. 'Wait,' he realized, 'when did Prentiss become Emily?' Hotch then put it aside as some kind of nonsense as he tried to concentrate on anything that would make him continue walking.

It did not go unnoticed to Aaron when he felt Emily come to a stop next to him. His eyesight had been locked to the ground, only watching as each foot would step forward then other and so forth. It wasn't until he began seeing grass and tree branches frozen in place, did he realize why Emily had come to a stop. Letting his eyes move up did he realize they were back at the hill, no to him it was a cliff. He couldn't do this. There was no way his body was going to be able to get up this without bringing Emily down in the process as well.

It wasn't up to him though for Emily had all ready made up her mind and was determined, she began moving forward with Hotch following. It wasn't to long and Hotch felt his entire body scream in protest at the excursion he was asking of his body. Few steps and his footing coming out from under him and all he saw was snow. He couldn't move he was just too cold to try and get back up and continue.

Emily knew the unit chief was struggling, but when he lost his footing and brought both of them crashing to the ground she knew the little time she had left to get him somewhere warm was quickly dwindling. Throwing his arm off of her she was worried he had collapsed because of losing consciousness but when his head finally came up to get some air from the snow in his face she knew they still had time. Standing back up she placed her hand out in front of his line of sight.

"Come on, we can do this together. I'm not leaving you."

He knew better than to arguer with her in a situation like this, just like if the situation was reversed. Only he could carry her, she couldn't do the same for him. Grabbing her hand he brought himself up slowly. Few steps forward and Hotch was back on his knees again not being able to climb normally. So Hotch and Emily resorted to using their hands and knees to climb back up the hill, and though it was a slow process it was better then stopping.

It felt like hours making it finally back to the top of the hill but as a team they made it back up. Hotch's quick breaths seem to rip through the quiet night as he took each step moving slowly beside Emily. It wasn't until half way through the forest that Emily noticed Hotch's stumbling had become even worse.

"Where almost there, just keep going Hotch." She wasn't sure if that was more for him or for herself. To try and stay motivated. She wasn't even sure how many times she kept telling him that, it seemed like every other minute she was repeating herself. Her greatest fear was to get him this far and for him to give up. Joy ripped through her when she realized the trees where becoming thinner and she could see the house from where they were. They were fifty feet from Tony Mitchell's place when Hotch suddenly stopped and crashed to his knees. 'No, no, no no.' Emily's mind panicked. They did not endure so much only to stop right there.

"Get back up Hotch do you see it, we're here."

Emily glanced at the place that would be their salvation and back at Hotch. They were so close and he was quitting. He had nothing else to give and she was asking him to provide more. Closing her eyes she tried to think what she could do or say and nothing was coming to mind.

"Haley,….so….sorry." His teeth clattering barely able to get out three words without trouble.

Her eyes casted downward towards Hotch and knew from the exposure to hypothermia his mind was now playing tricks on him. She had to get him up, get him moving and she prayed to God he wouldn't be mad at her if he remembered this. Leaning down so her lips where to his ear, she spoke softly.

"You should be sorry, you're quitting. What would our son say? You're the most stubborn man I know, now," grabbing his jacket as though he was a perp, "get your ass up, AND MOVE!"

Emily got an immediate response from her boss who stood back up onto his feet, and began moving forward. It was only a minute after that did they come crashing into Mitchell's house the door slamming against the wall and bouncing back into them as Hotch took four steps into the house and then promptly collapsed bringing Emily down with him as his body hit the floor with a thud. It took some maneuvering but Emily was able to get out from under Hotch's arm and turn him over. She could see how violently he was shaking and his hitched breathing as he tried to suck in air seemed to have grown louder. Checking his pulse he found his heart beating faster then normal and Emily's mind began screaming. He was going into the early stages of severe hypothermia if he wasn't already there. Knowing he wasn't going anywhere, she quickly ran over to the door, shut it, turning the lights on and began to try and think what she could use to warm him up.

Like a bolt of lighting it came to her from out of know where, 'Sleeping bag!' Then an almost comical fashion Emily began racing around the house looking for the elusive sleeping bag, hoping the late Tony Mitchell liked to go camping. Not finding anything upstairs or downstairs she found the basement and quickly raced down the old steps, turning the light on. Her eyes scanned rapidly, moving back and forth and to her disappointment she didn't see what she was looking for, until she began making her way back up did she spot camping gear.

She came back down the stairs swiftly went over to the discarded junk and started turning stuff over until she found a blue sleeping bag that was tightly rolled up. "Perfect!." She said out loud. She then ran back up the stairs and into the living room. She undid the sleeping bag and rolled it out and then knew what she had to do next.

One of the key things they teach you in any kind of survival class, even watching a movie, you would know body heat was the greatest weapon to combat against hypothermia. Prentiss, without hesitation, began to undress Hotch, getting his shoes off rather quickly and then his socks. The jeans where harder to get off and it took some struggling to peel them off his wet body. The shirts were not as hard, but with Hotch's complete dead weight, the task was not the simplest she had ever done. It also did not help that as she continued to work on him, she felt her own fingers going numb after having touched the cold wet clothes. She stood up and glanced down at him.

The only thing preventing Hotch being completely naked was the cold wet white briefs still stuck to his body. She then had a great idea. Racing back up to the master bedroom she quickly found some boxer shorts that belonged to Tony Mitchell.

It only took a few seconds to switch the dry boxers out with the wet briefs and when she was proud of her work she rolled Hotch into the sleeping bag, she then began zipping him up and left it partially open. Proud of her handy work she then realized what had to come next. With a soft intake of breath and then letting it out slowly she began quickly undressing herself. Throwing her shoes off, then her pants, then her three layers of shirts and sweatshirt, she climbed into the sleeping bag with her boss, Aaron Hotchner.

She kept her underwear on along with her socks, to make her feel a little more comfortable cozying up to the Unit Chief. She reached over and zipped the bag up as far as she could reach and then she snaked her body around Hotch's cold frame. She could not believe how unbelievably cold his body was and as she laid there next to him she wondered if it was possible for her to get hypothermia herself. She knew it sounded ludicrous but her mind was trying to think of anything else to think about and not think she was snuggling up to Hotch.

'It was purely to save Hotch and nothing more.' Emily thinking to herself letting her eyes wonder around the living room. She knew though, if someone would have told her a few days ago she would be half naked lying next to her half naked boss she would have laughed right in their face and maybe even consider having them committed. Though she would never admit to anyone but herself, she did have a crush on the stoic Unit Chief. It felt like one of those girl crushes you get on your teacher, you know you can't have them but it was fun to dream…..to imagine. Emily Prentiss kept looking around the room trying to get her mind off of it, for fear of where her mind would wander.

Closing her eyes, she realized the headache she had been fighting had come back in full swing and she wondered when the team would realize they had been gone longer then usual. Opening her eyes again she looked to the window and saw the snow was coming down even harder then before, and the uneasiness settled into her stomach. It was possible they might be trapped there for the evening, depending on how bad the snow storm got.

The feeling of Hotch's chest moving up and down brought a comfort to Emily she didn't know she was missing until she had someone she was holding. She didn't even realize she had dozed off lying next to the very still Hotch until her body jolted awake suddenly.

When she had awoke she found two things had changed. Hotch's body had warmed up a great deal, and was not cold to the touch. Though it wasn't where it should be, it was better then before. The second, was somewhere in the sleep pattern Hotch had moved and found a way to spoon her. His arms where wrapped around her waist and she could feel his feet where entangled into hers. She could only imagine the looks on the faces of the team if they came waltzing in on them. The gossip would never end. But quite frankly if it saved Hotch's life, she would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Not to mention was this Aaron doing it knowing who was beside him, or doing it subconsciously believing it to still be Haley.

Deep down though she knew it wasn't those two things that had awakened her. She started glancing around the house, feeling something was off, something wasn't right. Taught to go off these instincts she began to move out from Hotch's grasp, when the hair on her neck stood straight up, for she heard a creek in a floor board behind them. Being on her side, and her back to the noise she had to do some changing of position and hoped she didn't wake Hotch in the process.

Emily Prentiss's heart leaped into her throat for standing over them was a man, who had a grin that sent chills up and down her very spine. She had seen similar smiles on those they fought and put away. It was a smile a predator makes before he attacks his prey, and Emily knew the man standing before her was the true unsub. Her eyes scanned over to the weapon that was laying a few feet away from them and even if she tried she would never get to it in time.

"Mitchell didn't tell me we were having guests, I'm so delighted to have you here."

She never had a chance to even try to reach for her weapon before the man brought his foot down and Emily Prentiss was thrown into the dark world of unconsciousness.

**TBC…**

_Sorry for the cliffhanger and poor Emily just can't catch a break when it comes to her head. Poor thing, surprised she hasn't had some serious brain injuries to the result of being hit in the head so many times. Hoped you liked the chapter! _


	3. Chapter 3

**NicknHotchfan, Kenzie138, kimtom4eva, Anon, Jenno55, HPforever, TheLuckiestOne, Kimmeke, mom2jackhope,unknown, miranda953, History05, Angel N Darkness, fanficlover, TML, Stephanie615, bluesky, jessalynnGSR, JayJe, Kdala, natSVU, and montydam. **

_WOW. I am stunned by all your kind words, and encouragement. I can not THANK you enough. Really the only way I can thank you is by updating this story as quickly as possible, and for me this is a new record. Usually it takes longer for me to update stories, but I came through for you guys and I hope you like. Talk about pressure, but it's a great pressure, so thank you for making me want to do the best work I can possible do. _

_I'm really trying not to go into corny factor here, so hopefully I didn't achieve that either. _

_BTW cookies to __**TML**__, for seeing the Family Guy reference in the Author Notes for Chapter 1. _

_Enough of me blabbering, onto the story! _

**Chapter 3**

Warren Jacobs laid off the throttle of the snowmobile as he came up the drive noticing immediately a foreign car in the driveway. The back license plate, though partially covered with snow, still gave away all its information, telling Jacobs the black SUV sitting unattended was, in fact, a fed's vehicle. Most people in his position, who did the things he did, would have turned a 180 and never return again, only something stopped him from listening to his flee instinct. The house was completely dark. That was beyond strange because the sun had gone down completely submitting the state into night, and yet, for some reason, both Tony's and the government vehicle sat untouched.

He had only been gone a few hours, it had taken him a lot longer then he thought to hide the newest dead body. It was suppose to be an easy dump but found it to be a bit more difficult trying to avoid as much contact with people as he went along. Nobody suspected a thing for most people minded their own business. Quite frankly they were more worried about you getting into their business then them trying to snoop into someone else's. So when Jacobs arrived the first thought that came to his mind was Tony had panicked. That still didn't explain where the Fed's were and why the place wasn't crawling with more of them. The desire to know over rode anything else and he hit the throttle making his way to the back of the house.

It only took him a few minutes to hide the snowmobile in the barn. The one thing he liked about his sanctuary, it could not be seen from the house, it was completely hidden amongst the trees. Even with the tree's being as bare as they were, it still stayed hidden to onlookers. Only those who knew where it was could find it. Locking the doors to the barn with a deadbolt he turned back around and quickly made his way back to the house. He took notice that his tracks from the snow machine was already beginning to disappear from the rapid snowfall that was in effect above them.

Walking inside he closed the door behind him and quickly came to the conclusion he had the house to himself. He decided to keep the lights off, just in case the agents came in by themselves without Tony or if Tony was in their custody. He walked to the front entrance and looked out the large window that overlooked the front of the property and his eyes caught something immediately.

Breaking through the frontlines of the trees were two people walking, very slowly, towards the house. As he continued to watch with predator eyes the two became clearer with each step towards the dwelling and by the stature of the one he knew it was a man, and the other had to be a woman from the height and body shape next to the man. Jacobs could tell the man was having trouble walking and he watched as the man sled to his knees and the woman was having none of it. It wasn't more then a minute and the man was back up on his feet and Jacobs quickly left his spot at the window to find a hiding spot, to lay in wait. Running upstairs quickly he decided to hide in his own room listening as the front door swung open and then closed a few seconds later.

He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, wanting desperately to come out of his hiding spot and yet liking the idea he was completely hidden from view, like a spider waiting for its prey to walk right into his web. Jacobs began to take a step out, to see what the two where doing, when he heard what he thought was possibly the woman, judging from the light steps moving through out the house. He got ready, preparing his body, thinking how he was going to take her by surprise as he could hear her upstairs running around opening doors and shutting them. He suddenly decided to make a rash decision, something telling him to move out of the closet and fast. Leaving his hiding spot he quickly ran into his bathroom. It was the smartest thing he could have done for few seconds later the woman showed up in his room, turning it upside down and running out of the room once more. He let out the breath he didn't know he was holding and decided his spot in the bathroom was good for the moment. Jacobs did not move from his position until he heard what he thought was the basement door open then close a few minutes later. The curiosity was just too much for him, he just had to see if his guesses where correct.

Taking his steps carefully, he moved to the landing, making sure to stay in the darkness that was the upstairs, to stay out of sight. He looked over the banister that overlooked the living room and where he stood he saw the female agent undressing the male who looked unresponsive. It was then Jacobs finally noticed the man's clothes. The male, who Jacobs could only assume was a male agent, was soaked from head to toe. It didn't take a genius to figure out what probably had gone down. The only question was where was Tony? Was he still running as though hell itself was on his heels, or did he fall in as well?

Suddenly the woman, who had been standing over the male after removing all his clothing except his white briefs, was in motion again, towards the stairs. Warren Jacobs was moving again, his mind screaming to get out of line of sight, to get hidden and fast. He once again made it back to the bathroom when he heard her bypass his room and went into Tony's.

It was only a couple seconds later and he could hear her descending the stairs again. It was then he decided to sit there until it became quiet in the house, planning his next move. Trying to figure out what he could do to them and how much time did he really have to do it in? His attention turned to the snow falling outside, he knew he'd have some time with them. Traveling on the roads would be difficult and it would slow any response team trying to get out to the house. The clock was on his side, not theirs. Besides why ruin a perfect gift? An opportunity that not many had a chance to enjoy. To have two FBI agents who were cut off from their team, who had no way of making contact with anyone else, the predators who hunted other predators had become the prey.

Warren Jacobs paced back and forth in the bathroom, his mind racing back and forth as he tried to come up with plans, when he realized it had been some time since he heard anything from the downstairs area. Deciding it was now or never, he made his move. Jacobs slowly walked towards the landing like he had done previously, acting as though both were fully awake and alert; he wanted to make sure he wasn't the one caught off guard. What he found though were two vulnerable unaware sleeping agents. A small smile formed on his lips, this was just too easy.

He took the steps carefully, trying not to put his full weight on the stairs in order to keep as quiet as possibly, not sure of either one of their sleeping patterns or how easily they could wake up. It wasn't till the last stair did he slip up and a loud creek could be heard throughout the entire house. Closing his eyes at the aggravation of being so careless he glanced over to the two sleeping pair and found the woman was waking up. Her back was turned to him but he could see her head lift up from the makeshift pillow that was the man's arms.

His heart was beating a mile a minute as he creeping closer, trying to get into range to be affective. He had never dealt with two adults so he had to play this right or it would go all downhill quickly. It wasn't until his last step towards the two did his weight on another loose floorboard creating another creaking sound and the woman slowly shifted and turned around.

The smile that came upon his lips at the sight of the woman's eyes growing large, complete horror that she had been caught unprepared and blindsided. It didn't go unnoticed to him when he saw her eyes glance over to her weapon lying just out of reach, and it was then he decided to finally speak.

"Mitchell didn't tell me we were having guests, I'm so delighted to have you here."

He then moved quickly making sure to aim for the temple area of the woman's head, to effectively knock her unconscious. He watched as she slumped over onto the man. Warren kept his eyes locked on the male to make sure he didn't move, or react. The only response he got from the male was a deep frown upon the man's features, then as quickly as it appeared, was gone. It was obvious he was trapped in nether world of nightmares and dreams.

Trying to factor in which one would be the greatest risk of waking up in the process of moving them, he decided to move the woman first. He didn't know the time frame and how long they would stay catatonic until the world called them back. It probably was only a few minutes, then again it could be a few hours. So he wanted to move quickly. He knew she was going to be light compared to the male. Taking one stride he bent over unzipped the sleeping bag and lifted the half naked woman up into his arms. It only took a few minutes and he was outside and walking towards the barn.

As he moved into the barn he tried not to think of what he was holding in his arms, trying to think of it more as a dead doe then a female body. He, none to gently, threw her down. Taking her hand he grabbed the cuff that was connected to a chain that was wrapped nice and tightly around one of the many wooden support beams that held the barn up, and closed it forcefully.

He then moved off to collect the male who was just the way he left him. He found the male hadn't moved one single inch from the last time Jacobs saw him. Bending over, he pulled the man up to try and carry him in a fireman's carry. Unlike the woman who was much smaller and lesser weight, this man had some built to him. He had to resort to a second method, Jacobs grabbed the man under the arms and proceeded to drag him. It wasn't the easiest task since Jacobs wasn't the biggest man, his stature was much smaller framed than the man he was carrying. Few times, while dragging the male, he had to stop and catch his breath, losing his steam in the process. The thought of the man waking up now kept him going and he was thankful when he finally arrived at the doors of the barn.

Dropping the man across from the female, Jacobs decided to do things a bit different for fear that the man might have the ability of being able to get out of his restraints. He placed the man on the ground, put his hands behind the beam and cuffed them together. He glanced around and spotted what he was looking for; he walked over and grabbed the rope dangling from one of the many hooks that protruded from the wall. Using the thick twine he decided to tie the man's feet as well. When he felt satisfied with his work he took a glance at both and felt he could leave them unattended for a little bit. Jacobs wanted to collect their stuff in the house not to mention his stomach was growling something fierce. Without another glance back he turned around and left them, locking the doors behind him.

(Police Station)

Derek Morgan was buried in paperwork up to his elbows, as was JJ who sat across from him. They had been looking over mounds of information trying to find someone who fit their profile. Yet the more he tried harder to find some kind of connection, to find the missing link, the more it seemed unattainable. He instinctively knew when it was time to walk away and gather his thoughts. Rubbing his face, trying to wake himself up, he blinked his eyes rapidly and then stood up, which caused JJ to glance up from her work.

"Want some more coffee?"

She smiled softly and shook her head, "No, thank you. I've stomached about as much coffee as I can take."

"Quitter." He responded walking out into the larger room where most of the police desks where stationed. Pouring the coffee into his cup and taking a sip he turned back around and glanced at the clock. At first he thought maybe his tired eyes had read it incorrectly playing wicked games on him but when he glanced down at his watch he realized he had seen it accurately. Rossi and Reid had gotten back talking to the victims families well over two hours ago**,** where was Hotch and Prentiss?

Taking a few steps he pulled his cell phone out and noticed there was no miss calls from either one of them. Deciding to try their Unit Chief first he found it went straight to voicemail, as did Prentiss's, which caused a deep frown to appear on his forehead. He knew the mother hen was showing up in him but it didn't help that the team rarely went long without talking to one another. They were always constantly keeping each other updated, not leaving anyone in the dark, it's what made them one of the best teams. As he closed his phone thinking maybe he should try and give them a little more time is when the police officers walked up to him noticing the deep frown on his face. Taking a shot in the dark he guessed what was distressing the agent.

"If you're trying to reach the two that went to Mitchell's place, you'd have better chance of swinging a dead cat and hitting a deer then getting service where they are at."

Morgan did not like hearing that he could be so easily cut off from his team members. What if they need their help and they couldn't contact them? He kept telling himself they were fine, that he was over reacting, but the more he tried to quiet his thinking the more in his stomach he felt something was wrong. He'd give them some more time, and if they didn't show up or make some kind of contact Morgan was going to them. He nodded his head and mumbled something to respond to the officer and made his way back to the room where JJ sat. He'd give them another hour he decided, that was enough time. Getting back to work he tried not to look at the clock, but he found it was getting harder to do so as the minutes kept ticking away.

(Mitchell's Place)

The world came back slowly for one Aaron Hotchner. His awareness to his surroundings was coming back to him before the strength to opens his eyes was there. He could feel he was sitting up against something with his arms brought behind him uncomfortably, and when he tried to shift his legs he found that impossible. If that wasn't alarming he found he was incredibly cold as though he was undressed. Lifting his head off of his chest and pressing it against whatever he was leaning against Hotch slowly opened his eyes. He immediately regretted that decision and squeezed his eyes quickly shut for the florescent lighting wrecked havoc on the massive headache he was beginning to get. Trying to will it away, which he knew wouldn't work, he concentrated on other things to try and forget about it.

From the quick glance of when he opened his eyes he had caught that he was completely stripped and wearing a pair of boxers he didn't recognize. What the hell had happened? Hotch tried desperately to remember his last memory, but everything was a blur. The last thing he could recall was that of Emily, and it then hit him like a ton of bricks. Like a door that had swung open from the wind, he could see the quick flashes of water, the UNSUB and Emily Prentiss.

Ignoring the burst of pain that came to his skull he immediately saw what his paniced mind searched for. Lying directly in his line of sight was Emily. Where he sat he couldn't see if she was hurt for the way she was laid out before him. From his position all he could see was her head and her shoulders and judging from the bare skin she was in the same situation as him.

He tried not to move his line of sight to fast for the pulsing pain behind his eyes was zapping any strength he had at the moment or so he was convinced it was. He tried scanning for the person responsible for their predicament but the person in question was no where to be seen. Hotch decided to try and at least arouse Emily from her stupor.

"Prentiss," waiting for a few seconds he saw nothing that indicated she heard him so he tried again, "Emily." Still no response, and he was worried continuously saying her name would bring unwanted attention. Aaron Hotchner was at a lost in what to do for the first time. He didn't like feeling so vulnerable and helpless and though he knew it was pointless, he still tried his restraints. The only thing he achieved was hurting his wrists and arms. Hotch was startled when the person he had tried to awaken came to life.

Emily had been incoherent one second, the next, she jolted awake and not quietly either like he had. She jerked upwards and finding her hand restrained started pulling and moving back and forth violently like a caged animal. "Emily." still she continued her plight as though she didn't hear him and all her focus was getting out of her predicament; she stopped when he tried again. "Emily, you'll hurt yourself, stop it!" Hotch using as much of his boss voice that he could muster, and she responded immediately to it as she then glanced up through her hair.

The sound of his voice cutting through the air seemed to stop her entire world that seemed right at that second completely upside down. She had come back to consciousness and immediately she remembered the man standing over Hotch and herself. Without even having to look she could feel a restraint on her wrist causing her instant panic. Jolting up she began pulling as hard as she could, tiny growls of annoyance emerging from the back of her throat as she yanked and twisted. Then as though the darkness was lifted from her imprisonment when she heard the one voice she never thought she'd hear again. Looking up she saw Hotch was in a similar situation as her, and she couldn't believe he was conscious, let alone talking. The frown that had creased his face when trying to get through to her disappeared and worry flashed over his features.

Emily responded, "How are you feeling? You okay?" Worried what the frigid waters had done to Hotch and still not receiving any medical assistance, there was no telling if he was still in the clear. She had been so concerned about him and still was.

Hotch didn't want to lie to Emily, but in reality he didn't feel like himself. Not only was his head pounding extremely hard, his chest was starting to hurt. Why make her worry though then she already was, there where bigger things to be concerned about then him catching some kind of stupid cold. He couldn't believe that Emily had beaten him to the punch he wanted to know how she was.

"I've been better, how about you?

"Except for everyone using my head for target practice today, I'm peachy."

His eyes catching the contrasted dried blood that stood against her skin. He didn't like seeing any of his agents hurt, suffering, and for some reason especially Emily in particular. Not that anyone of them stood above the other, it was something different with her and Hotch could not place his finger on it, yet.

Emily took her free hand. touched her head gingerly and winced when she found the spot where dumbass had decided to mistake her head for a football. Though she was thankful the man had not returned, she wondered how long he would stay away. She decided to change the way she was sitting and maneuvered as best as she could until she was sitting with one hand wrapped around her midsection and her legs brought up towards her body to try and further protect herself. Glancing over at Hotch she could see there was no way he could change the way he was sitting and she felt bad for him.

The silence that fell between them as each waiting for the man who was responsible to come back, each praying it would end quickly, or their team found them in time. As Emily moved around Hotch looked down at his boxers. It sent horror into his heart to know that someone in such a vulnerable state switched out his underwear, and the real question who was it?

"Emily," licking his lips, giving himself time to think through what he wanted to say exactly, "what happened after I fell in?"

He glanced up from what he had been staring at, what had his focus for the last few minutes. Watching Emily's eyes go a little wide, and if he wasn't mistaken, a small smile came to her lips. The lighting wasn't the best in the cold barn so maybe he misread her face.

Emily Prentiss wanted nothing more then to die right then and there. She didn't want to describe in detail to him why she did it, though it made perfect sense in retro perspective, that didn't mean explaining wouldn't make it less embarrassing. Though sadly admitting to herself under other circumstances, it wouldn't have been. Letting a soft smile come to her lips that she couldn't stop from forming, she answered his question with a question.

"You don't remember what happened?"

Hotch was about to respond back when the sound of the door being unlocked from the outside could be heard and both Emily and himself glanced over, their breaths caught in their throat. Neither one could utter a single word to one another. No words of comfort. For both knowing exactly what the other was thinking, the true act of survival was about to begin and both hoped they each survived the night.

**TBC….**

**Hope you still enjoyed it being a filler chapter! Enjoy the new episode tomorrow night (bounces around) whoo hoo! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Author Note: **_So you are probably wondering where the hell I've been. I want to take the time and apologize for my absent and explain my whereabouts. I recently went down to Tenn to see some family especially my grandmother. We came home and the following week things kind of took a turn for the worse, and we had to go back down there. Then with some other things happening that I'll explain later on at the end of this story I couldn't find time to work on this. Really it was your words of encouragement and your reviews that kept my mind on it even when I didn't know what to do next. Honestly I thought it would be this weekend before I could put anything out, but I found as I wrote more and more that I had a chapter sitting in front of me that I could give. I hope you are still enjoying as much as I'm having fun still writing it. I promise next chapter should be out shortly, it might be a little shorter then the previous but it should be out with in a week or so. Now onto the new chapter!_

_To those who left me a review last chapter, __**JayJe, TML, PrincessHotch, jooles, miranda953, fanficlover, Kimmeke, Angel N Darkness, History05, HPforever, s, jessalynnGSR, Ecda, Anon cycccc123, and ask. **_

**Chapter 4**

The sound of the barn door opening was the loudest thing Emily had ever heard in her lifetime. She was not in control, and the very idea of not having that kind of grasp on her life scared her to the very depths of her soul. She watched silently as the man walked in and caught a glimpse of the snow that was piling up outside just as he promptly closed the barn door behind him, closing the world off from the two FBI agents.

She stole a fleeting glance at her boss, at the man she slightly wished would be the hero to find a way to break his bonds and rescue them both. She knew it was this kind of thinking that was not going to help her situation, or Hotch's. The more she tried to steer away from those thoughts the more desperate she was willing to cling to it. Hotch was their go-to man, he was the one every one counted on to make sure they made it through the toughest situations, not saying the others couldn't handle themselves. He was the one though that kept everybody anchored and always had a solution to get them out of it and kept them on track when they went off the road. When she had taken a moment to get a reassuring look from Hotch, she found it to be the complete opposite. The man sitting only a few feet was not himself, and it read all over Hotch's features. No matter how much of a game face he put on for the world.

Emily knew the UNSUB walking through the barn doors would never know how Hotch was feeling; he was that good at masking it to those who didn't know him. She saw him square his shoulders, lift his head up as best as he could and glare at the doors, giving his famous Hotchner glare.

Inside the mind of Hotch, his mind was running a mile a second. When he had heard the doors start to open, his heart skipped a beat, he was pretty sure it had. He took a fleeting glimpse of Prentiss, to see how she was holding up. To her true nature she masked the fear, the apprehension of the unknown. Turning back he felt like any second he'd lose consciousness. He knew his body's limitations and he knew he hadn't full recovered from the near miss with the freezing waters. The other thing that crawled into the back of his mind that would not go away was he was incapable of protecting Prentiss.

Setting his game face he tried to put everything at the back of his mind thinking what he could use against this man. Hotch didn't have a lot to go on, their profile wasn't complete. He reassured himself that he didn't need it, that he could go on the crimes itself for those told a story to them whether the suspect knew it or not. The more the man talked, the more Prentiss and Hotch could use it against him, just Hotch hoped he could keep the attention on him and not let it linger on Emily.

As the doors swung open, a gust of cold winter air breezed in slamming into both the agents sending chills up and down their bodies. The hair on their arms stood up on end, as the doors then slammed back shut as the man locked it behind him. Hotch watched as the man turned around and walked towards them with a slow walk. Taking his time with each step, as though he wanted this to last as long as possible and the faster he got there the quicker it would be over.

Jacobs studied each agent basking in their glares as he stood there in front of them. The woman which he suspected had her body turned as far away from him as humanly possible, as though that would protect her in such a vulnerable state. She held her own though with a blank face, watching every movement he made. The man had a glare on him that Jacobs found interesting. The man's body language suggested he was relaxed as could be, but his face told otherwise, that if given a chance Jacob's would be dead before he hit the ground. It was then he realized how much more fun this was going to be, to break them.

"So who wants to tell me what happened to Mitchell?" He was greeted with complete silence, which did not surprise him. Jacobs knew they were trained in hostage situations, what to say and what not to say to those that held them. The less information, the better. He glanced at the woman, then back at the man and waited for the answer. Still they kept their eyes focused on him, waiting for him to strike out. So he decided not to disappoint them.

Bringing forth a hunters knife that he used to cut into the stomachs of deer, he glanced at it turning it over and without looking, placed the tip of blade to the palm of his hand, turning it ever so slowly. In his mind he was trying to decide how he would get them to talk. Going on a theory he turned and began walking towards the woman. Jacobs had to give the woman credit, she didn't flinch until he was hands length away but by then he grabbed her hair and stopped her from moving all together. Leaning down he placed the knife to her neck and he felt the woman's breathing get heavier, at the anticipation of what he was about to do. "Hold still, this knife is a little dull so it might take a lot more pressure then usual."

He started to press down and the gasp that escaped the female's mouth as blood began to appear where the knife of the blade was enough to get one talking finally.

"I can tell you what you need to know."

Jacobs smiled, and stood back up and moved towards to the man.

"Now, was that so hard? I'm going to ask again and this time you better answer and not give me the silent treatment."

Hotch wanted nothing more then to break his bonds, punch the man in the face and take the shit-eating grin off his face permanently. Then maybe break every bone in his body. There was more Aaron Hotchner thought of what he could do the guy and the longer he lingered on it the more Hotch felt he was losing a touch of reality. He hadn't thought the silence would drive the man to Emily so quickly, and that put the fear into Hotch like no other. It was worse then falling into the freezing waters, it felt like somebody was sucker punching him in the stomach. He was back at the Ranch unable to get to his agents, and unable to think of a solution of getting them out of there without getting everybody killed in the process.

He just couldn't bare the thought of not being able to protect her, he didn't like the fact that if this man so choose, he could end Emily's life without batting an eye and there was nothing he could do or say to stop him. Hotch didn't care if the man was bluffing and trying to get them to talk, Hotch just couldn't take that kind of chance.

"Where is Mitchell?"

Emily looked over at Hotch as the man stepped away from her. Somehow even in his state of vulnerability he was able to give off an aura of superiority. Maybe it was the defiant glare Hotch was giving, or maybe it was the tone of voice he had spoken with, either way he did not looked pleased.

Quite frankly she didn't know what to expect from this man. He targeted little boys, not two fully grown adults. The problem is, it didn't matter they were two FBI agents who were off their game and deep down Emily knew this man couldn't resist that kind of temptation. When the man walked up and grabbed her hair she could swear she could feel him ripping out a huge gap in her hairline clenching her teeth together she couldn't suppress the horror and fear as she felt the knife starting to slice through her neck and then it all stopped with the nine words from Aaron Hotchner: "I can tell you what you need to know.". She was relieved though she knew it wouldn't be the end.

Hotch was thinking of the best way to explain to this man what had happened to Mitchell, to not upset this man. Though Hotch knew deep down inside it mattered not what he did, or said, for this man was looking for reasons to punish them.

"See, this is where you tell me the story and I get pissed!"

Again silence from Hotchner and Emily both not knowing what to say without making it worse in the process. It was too late to come up with something for Hotch watched as the anger flashed over his eyes at them for holding their tongues. The man abruptly turned around and taking only a few steps brought his foot back and proceeded to kick Emily in the face. He connected again as she yelled out as the foot made contact and her body jerked back from the blows.

"We came to question Mr. Mitchell, instead of answering some questions we had for him, he decided to run. I proceeded to give chase when we fell through some ice. That's last time I saw him. As far as I know he's at the bottom of your lake." Hotch spoke rather quickly, keeping the story quick and most of the facts to hopefully please this man. He had told himself to keep the attention on himself and not on Emily, to spare her and Hotch allowed this man to hurt her twice. Trying to read the man's thoughts was like reading another man's face from across a poker table in a casino. He didn't show any emotion, it was a mirror image. As the man's eyes wondered away, tired of holding a staring contest with Hotch it was then that Hotch stole another glance at Emily. He saw that she was regaining her composure after the hits and she nodded her head, telling him she was okay. Hotch then brought his attention back to the man in front of him.

"So what kind of questions where you going to ask him?" Jacobs asked as he then turned and looked at Emily.

Hotch replied to his question, "We hadn't gotten that far, sometimes the questions come as we go along with the interview." Which was not all a lie, but for the most part most of them knew exactly what they wanted to ask.

Jacobs turned back around with a snarl on his face, "I'm suppose to believe that? You just "wing it." I know you had questions, I want to know what they are!"

Hotch mind went into panic mode as the haze that had threatened earlier was coming on full force, the tiredness over his body was suddenly much more present. He had to say something to make this man happy or he'd go after Emily again. He then heard Emily for the first time.

"We were going to ask why his vehicle was seen at the last kidnapping. We wanted to see his reaction, wanted to know why he skipped his parole meeting." Emily watched as the man turned around, his eyes forced directly at her, she continued anyways. "How long it took him to start molesting and raping little boys, was it someone he knew, a cousin, a sibling? Mitchell wouldn't have been able to answer the last question, only you can."

The poker face that had been hiding what he was feeling was starting to unravel, he knew there was no doubt in his mind the agents knew it.

"So when did your father start on you? Or was it your step father? Possibly an uncle," Hotch asked watching as the man who had kept his cool was starting to come unglued and though it was dangerous to push a man such as this, they had no other choice. The more they shoved this man over the edge the more they could get from him and possibly find a way out of this mess. The reaction though was not entirely what Hotch was expecting as the man's face went pale to red in two seconds he knew he might have gone a little too far. It wasn't until the first swing came down on his face did he realize his mistake.

Each blow to the face and head was causing Aaron Hotchner to get closer to the darkness that promised him salvation and no pain. Each hit was getting him close to losing his fight with consciousness and at this point he welcomed it. The tiredness that had swept over him earlier had been creeping up every slowly and this was speeding up the process. Then just as suddenly they stopped and Hotch felt his head drop down in exhaustion, the taste of blood filling his mouth. He tried regulating his breathing, feeling his heart going into overdrive as his body began to try and produce endorphins, preparing for another brutal attack.

Glaring up once more he watched as the man held his hand in the other, and Hotch then took the second to turn his head and spit the blood that had been pooling into his mouth. He then turned back around and continued to stare at the man as though that was nothing but child's play to him. Like he could go another round, and take everything this person had to throw at him.

Jacobs was enraged at these two, and how quickly they were getting to him. How fast they seem to know things about him that others didn't. Knowing he was losing the battle on his emotions and his control he realized suddenly he had to regroup and come at them another way, had to plan it better. Without another word he did an abrupt about face and left, leaving the two agents to ponder what this man might think up next.

(Police Station)

Derek Morgan was having the best dream that any man could have, the sexy body as he rubbed his fingers up her thigh, the sweet touch as he moved his fingers towards her face and the luscious lips as he captured them with his. He pulled away looking at her with those eyes that said everything he wanted them to say, she moved in closer and to his sudden horror she spoke with David Rossi's voice, "Wake up, Morgan."

The dream melted slowly away and it was enough to send the man upright and it only took him only a few seconds to register the man standing over him was Rossi who looked about as shocked as he was.

"Next time you fall asleep at the police station with paper work as your pillow, be sure to place a note that says 'wake at arms length.'"

Derek Morgan was still a bit disoriented at what was going on, rapidly blinking the sleep from his eyes he glanced around and saw the lights where turned off so he wasn't disturbed from his slumber. Taking his hand he rubbed his face willing himself to be alert.

"What time is it?"

"Late, we still have not heard from Aaron or Emily." The only time Rossi usually used their first names is when he was concerned, and he was no longer an agent but as a friend.

Hearing this news Morgan pushed the chair back and jumped up, "Why didn't anyone wake me? Somebody should have told me sooner." Morgan not waiting for a response, and not really caring for one, started looking for the rest of his team. Reid was walking up to them, looking like him too had just been woken up. "Where's JJ?" Asked the younger agent.

"Some of the police officers found her a cot to sleep on until the storm is over."

Morgan glanced over at Rossi, then back at Reid completely flabbergasted as his mind tried to take in everything. He swore his mind was still foggy from the dream and he knew the complete confusion was written on his face like an open book.

"You haven't looked outside have you?" Reid asked.

"No, I haven't had time." Derek snapped, closing his eyes. That isn't what he wanted to do, start being irritable with his coworkers. He opened his eyes back up and took a few steps towards a window. He was completely shocked to see that all he saw was snow, and it wasn't just coming down softly, it was coming down in huge clumps, in dramatic time. Not to mention he couldn't even see ten yards from the police station.

"We are under a lake effect snow warning."

All the team members turned as the Post Commander of the State Police walked up to them. Reid, who was fascinated with every little statistics known to man, started talking to no one in particular. "Did you know that Syracuse New York is usually the one that is greatly effected, they average 115.6 inches of snow per year, that's a lot of snow for not having any mountains. You know how the lake effect snow forms is the Great Lakes have too,"

Before Reid could continue Derek Morgan waved his hand, "No offense, Reid, but save it for the plane ride home," glancing back at the Commander, "what does that mean for us?"

"Bunker down, it's going to be a long night."

The Commander, thinking that was the end of the conversation, began to walk away but Morgan wasn't having it, "What about my boss, and my colleague? What if they are stuck out there? I haven't even heard from them yet. I thought you people didn't stop in this kind of weather, that full fledged blizzards couldn't stop you."

That had the man turn back around as he walked back up to Morgan, "Look, we can't control all the people that decide to risk their lives going out in this kind of weather. We highly suggest to stay off the roads so the snow plows can do their jobs, but I am not risking my men just so you can go gallivanting around because you think the worse. We are not in Detroit, we are not in Flint, the likelyhood of them actually finding the UNSUB this quickly is highly doubtful." The man's features softened and he patted Morgan on the shoulder, "I'm sure they are smart, and they are safe. They more than likely saw the snow storm, stopped, and is waiting out the storm. I'm sure they are fine. They are probably more comfortable then we are which I suggest you get some much needed sleep. Come morning we'll go up that way and see if we can't find them."

Not waiting for any kind of response the Commander then turned around and went back to his office. The three men stood there until Morgan turned around and spoke softly so no prying ears could overhear him speaking to the team.

"What do you guys think?"

Rossi looked down at his feet then back up and shook his head, "The rational part of me wants to believe the Commander."

"I sense a "but" in there Rossi,"

"The other side is saying that something is wrong and Aaron would not go this long without finding some way to contact us. Even if he faxed us from the hotel, something isn't right."

The other two looked at Reid, knowing the man with all the answers to their questions, knowing this man could probably even tell them the odds that were piled against the two agents. To their surprise he simply responded with two words, "call Garcia."

(Mitchell's Place)

"How's your neck?"

Emily's eyes came up from focusing on the hay that was giving her little warmth from the drafty barn. The wind would suddenly pick up outside, the howling breeze would move through the bare trees and the snow would slam into the wood penetrating the structure and touching it's cold tentacles across the vulnerable agents bodies . Every time Emily could hear the current of air shift, she would try and go some where warm knowing any second a gusty draft was going to slam into them. It didn't really help, but it took her mind off things. It was the sound of Hotch's voice that stopped this tireless cycle.

She couldn't believe that after what this man went through to almost freeze to death, then to have been beaten, he bypassed all this to ask her about neck. From where she sat and the lighting, even she could see the bruises starting to form across his face from where the man had rained down his fury. Knowing he wouldn't give up the question, she looked down.

Quite frankly she had forgotten about it, not that it didn't hurt but with the wind kicking up every few seconds her wound seemed to take a back seat at the moment. Mentioning it brought it back to her mind, and she could see where the blood had trickled down pass her cleavage and onto her stomach. Moving her neck gently she could feel the bleeding had stopped, and it was more a superficial wound then anything else. She'd be fine.

"It's fine," she got a look from him, not believing her, "No, really, it stopped bleeding. You, how…how are you holding up?" Not sure what to say as she watched him close his eyes again after waiting for a reaction from her.

Hotch was having a hard time staying awake. The very idea of falling asleep scared the hell out of him to the very core of his soul. Last time he fell unconscious he wasn't able to protect Emily, or himself. He'd be damned if that happened again. The problem was his stubbornness was no match for his body, and the body would win over the mind any day. When the man had left immediately Hotch let go of his guard and let his head rest on his chest. His entire face felt like it was on fire and he was pretty sure it was how a prized fighter felt after a boxing match. As he found darkness creeping up he pulled his head up and realized he had to focus on something quickly and his eyes rested on Emily. He could see her neck, and the blood that dripped down her delicate neck. He wanted to murder the man for harming her the way he did. There was nothing he could do about that so the only other thing he could think was to make sure her neck had stopped bleeding. Then again it wasn't like he could do anything to stop if it was.

He watched as her eyes meet his eyes after asking the question about her wound, hers searching his own, looking for something even he wasn't sure of. She had said: "It's fine," but he certainly didn't believe her. He just continued staring at her waiting for the truth but to her credit she responded to his glare with having said, "No, really, it stopped bleeding. You how..." Listening to her hesitation, "how are you holding up?"

Emily watched as he broke the stare that he had been giving her for a few seconds and he rested his head back on the post. His eyes closed once more. She watched as he took in a few long breaths of air before he responded.

"I'll survive." Which was the truth; he wasn't lying to Emily or to himself. Quite frankly, considering this man hadn't really done much to them, and maybe he'd spare them by coming in and putting a bullet in both their heads. This man didn't know what to do with two full grown adults. He didn't know how to handle someone defying his every word, out-thinking him on every step. Not truly afraid like a little boy would be. Hotch felt himself slipping again and he opened his eyes and looked at the boxers again.

"Prentiss?"

"Hotch?" Not sure how to respond back but with a question.

"You never told me what happened after I fell into the water."

Immediately Emily could feel her cheeks grow red. She was hoping he wouldn't get a chance to bring that back up. The man was like a machine, refusing to quit and he never forgot anything it seemed. He might put something in the back of his mind but he'd always remember to ask later. This was later.

"Well," clearing her voice, trying to make it stronger, "Your body temperature was really low and I had to get it back up. I got your clothes off and…good news it worked." Not wanting to continue she thought by ending it there spared them both. She knew her boss was smart, more intelligent then most people and everyone knew that another person's body warmth was the key to fighting off hypothermia. She didn't have to explain anymore she felt. Not to mention she wanted to crawl into a hole and die right then and there.

"Prentiss?"

She glanced up once more and saw him staring at her, with a look she had never seen before on his face. His mask was gone, and it wasn't her boss, it wasn't Hotchner the man who was capable of making the devil himself piss in terror. It was Aaron, a man that was rarely shown to anyone outside of work and only those who were close to him.

"Thank you."

Aaron meant it from the very depth of his soul. There was a part of him deep down some where he would never admit to himself, let alone to anyone else, he was thankful it had been Prentiss. Of all the people that could have been here with him at this time, it was her. Then it was like she read his very thought process.

"I mean, if it had been you and Morgan I'm sure he'd done the same." Emily couldn't help herself, the smile that was twitching across her lips was getting too hard to contain. His eyebrows shot up and he shrugged his shoulders,

"Yes, just like if it had been Strauss instead of me."

He watched as Emily's smile disappeared, the horror that reached her features, the shiver that went through her body was not because of the wind picking up again, but for another reason. He had won. The very image of those two was enough to make him go running into the night, he could only imagine what Emily's mind came up with.

"Emily, I have one more question." He glanced down at his boxers trying to figure out of all the ones she could grab, she picked the ones that she did.

Emily saw his attention on his boxers and she let out a snort. He actually looked rather cute in the white and red heart-shaped underwear. "It was that or nothing at all." Emily stopped and her eyes went wide. Did she just say that out loud? No, she didn't, that was in her mind. Oh my God! She had! She could not believe she had just said a very sexual thing to her boss. Inside she was in complete panic mode; she couldn't believe she had just said that to Aaron Hotchner. Blinking her eyes rabidly she recovered quickly, "I promise next time we are in a situation like this I'll choose more carefully." GAH! What was wrong with her? Here they were, tied up, and God only knew if they were actually going to make it out alive, and she was actually hitting on her superior. She was fired, if they got out of this she was going to be fired. How would she explain this to mother, no wait, even worse Garcia and JJ. She'd never hear the end of it.

Hotch was flabbergasted beyond all belief. He always expected stuff like that from Garcia, but to have it come out of Prentiss' mouth was enough to make him utterly speechless. He wanted to tell her it was okay, as he watched her horror stricken face register what she had said, and try and think of more only to have it come out even worse. He wanted to tell her he wasn't mad at her, that he actually found it rather humorous and for once he wasn't thinking like her boss he was thinking as Aaron.

Wetting his lips thinking about what he was going to say, his thoughts were interrupted once more as the man came back into the barn. Hotch watched as the snow tried coming inside with the man as he stepped through the entrance. It was then Hotch realized why the team hadn't come for them, why they weren't going to be saved anytime soon. The weather, nobody could travel in this weather. It stops everything, and everyone, including FBI agents. The man carried something in his hand, and it took his tired mind a second to register in his mind. He did everything in his power to hide his horror, his fear as the man began walking up placing it in front of his face and waving it about.

A searing hot poker was only inches from the man's face as he smiled. "So who's first?"

**TBC…..**

_So another chapter in the bag, love to hear from you. Thank you like always!_


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